Kohala Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for the Kohala Lighthouse region is a tough one to call. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out period with hardly any quality surf on offer. The conditions are just not playing ball.

Let’s start from the beginning. From Saturday, 4 July, right through the first week, the wind is a dirty cross-shore from the ENE at a solid 22 mph. That’s a fresh breeze, and it’s just tearing the surface up, creating lumpy cross-chop. The swell sits around 5 ft to 7 ft from the same ENE direction, but with a short, weak period of only 7 to 8 seconds. The wave energy is moderate, ranging from 321 to 434, but it’s all chop and no shape. Because the swell is over 5 ft, it's not ideal for beginners, but the messy wind makes it feel worse than the size suggests. Honestly, for the first several days, the setup here looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It’s just a run of poor surf conditions, day after day.

Moving into the second week, from 13 July, the wind eases slightly to around 16 mph from the ENE or E, but it’s still a cross-shore with a cross-chop. The swell stays stubbornly similar: 5 ft to 6 ft, ENE, with a short period. The energy is still moderate, sitting between 400 and 435. There’s a brief appearance of a 2 ft swell from the west with a very long 16-second period on the afternoon of 14 July, but it’s still overshadowed by the poor cross-shore wind conditions. The energy spikes up to 594 on the morning of 16 July, but it’s still arriving from the east-northeast with a short period, so the quality doesn’t improve. The crowd profile isn’t even a factor here because the surf is so uninviting.

Looking at the far end, around 19 July, it’s more of the same. The swell drops a bit to 4 ft from the ENE, but the wind is still fresh and cross-shore, creating lumpy conditions. The wave energy drops to 280, indicating weaker, less promising surf.

So, what’s the best on offer? Honestly, there isn’t a true standout in this 16-day window. It’s a blank run of poor to marginal conditions. The water temp anomaly is about average for the time of year, so you can’t even bank on a clean, glassy session to salvage a bad swell. The best you can hope for is a slight easing of the wind on the 13th and 14th, but even then, the short period and cross-shore wind mean the lumps will persist.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is one of those times where the ocean is just not cooperating. Hang tight, the forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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